Automobile manufacturers are adding Graphic Display Centers (GDC) to their high tech vehicles. This will be a continuing trend over time. The GDC contains a display and a mixture of hard and soft switches. Use of a display, like a CRT, offers the capability to provide a large amount of information to the vehicle operator. The hard switches are used to display the basic screens. A touch screen which overlays the display provides for screen related "soft" switches whose functions are unique to the screen being displayed. Many of the soft switches, when actuated, cause sub-screens of the base screen to be displayed. Sub-screens can in turn cause other sub-screens to be invoked. Each vehicle using a GDC will usually contain over 100 screen definitions. Screens contain a multiplicity of different types of display elements such as Icons, Symbols, lines, boxes, circles, text, etc.
Today the screens used in the GDC are first designed and displayed on a computer screen. Either the full computer screen or a portion of the screen is used to simulate the vehicle display. The aspect ratio and color of the screen is different than the vehicle display. A time consuming process is required for a screen to be viewed on the actual vehicle screen. This requires processing of the developed screens using series of programs that allow generating a screen image that can be burned into an EPROM. Once generated the EPROM must be installed and run on a bench test setup that contains the actual vehicle display. When viewed on the actual vehicle display, changes may be necessary due to the vehicle display being different than the display that was used to develop the screen. Changes necessitate going back to the computer, modifying the screen and going through the long and tedious procedure of burning an EPROM and displaying the screen on a bench test setup.
This invention relates to Graphic Display Systems and more particularly to a more efficient system for creating and utilizing the code and display screens resulting therefrom.
As noted, automobile companies are making greater use of Display devices in their vehicles. Such a device typically includes a Controller such as that described in the Cross Referenced patent application noted above and provides for inputs by the vehicle operator as well as display of a variety of screens. Thus, a greater need exists for being able to create and update the screens for use in such vehicles. In particular, in accordance with the present invention such creation and updating is performed without modifying the software that is utilized in the system.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide an effective system for developing and adapting screens for use in automotive vehicle display systems.